Dr. Paul Redmond:

I would have to follow up on that point. To answer a specific question, the Senator asked how reductions in working hours relate to the minimum wage and if workers are coming out with the same wages. We looked at this subject recently. We examined three minimum wage increases from 2016 to 2018 and we found that industry and hospitality and accommodation were the two main sectors where workers had experienced a reduction in hours. We then asked that question of whether the increase in the minimum wage was enough to offset, or more than offset, the reduction in hours. The short answer is that it was enough. Even when we looked at this in real terms, it was enough for those working in industry, while accommodation and food workers broke even. Therefore, the minimum wage increases were large enough to offset the reductions in hours.